Fortunately for the country, the appointment of N.R. Mohanty as HAL's chairman in 2001 allowed it to make a start in cleaning up the Augean stables that he `inherited' and this is partly reflected in the 2003 order which at least calls for licensed manufacture of certain critical spares.

Mohanty, the country and HAL, his reign of transparent integrity comes to an end in November and agents of various foreign vendors are said to be already lobbying Delhi to ensure that `their' men occupy the top slots come December.

Mohanty wants to leave behind a legacy at HAL that his family can be proud of, he must ensure that, at the very least, the tainted helicopter systems agreements are revisited to ensure that they are favourable to India and that his successors are also men of integrity and ability.

Addressing the media after impressive maiden flights, HAL Chairman Mr Ashok K. Baweja said that a simulator school will be set up by next September along with CAE, Canada with common modules of training, though primarily for ALH.

We are doing everything to make it (weaponised Dhruv) a lethal platform for the military services,'' he said, adding that the ALH would provide the right solution for the forces' strategy.

Replying to a query on Dhruv's export potential, Mr Baweja said that the primary focus would be to set up maintenance facilities and cater to the domestic market first, taking into account the huge requirements.

HAL, CAE INK J.V. Bangalore, India - Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and CAE, Canada on Wednesday signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company that will open a helicopter simulator training centre in Bangalore.

The two companies are planning to provide HATSOFF with cockpits for the three variants of the HAL-built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv (one cockpit each for the Indian Army/Air Force glass cockpit Dhruv, Indian NavyDhruv, and civil variant of the Dhruv), as well as cockpits for the Bell 412 and Eurocopter Dauphin helicopters.

HAL went through a very extensive technical and commercial evaluation of potential partners, and CAE is clearly the right choice for our joint venture given their leadership in helicopter simulation and training.

According to HAL officials, “We have received the request for proposal (RFP) from the Chilean Air Force for the 5.5 tonne, twin engined new generation helicopter which is currently in service in the country’s armed forces.”

While HAL would be reponding to the RFP for for 4-6 machines for Chile, it will shortly be singing a contract with Bolivia for 2 Dhruvs.

Dhruv had excelled in similar operations in India and met all the requirements of Chile.

The HALDhruv (Sanskrit:"Pole Star") is a multi-role advanced helicopter made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

In November 2004, one of the two ALH Dhruvs sold to the Royal Nepal Army experienced a hard landing which damaged its undercarriage and landing gear.

In a statement, HAL said, "In a recent incident, when the tail rotor of one Dhruv developed some technical snag near Hyderabad, the pilot executed a safe landing without any injury to any of the passengers.

hal-dhruv.zdnet.co.za /zdnet/HAL_Dhruv (1297 words)

PIB Press Release(Site not responding. Last check: )

Dhruv, the ALH indigenously designed and developed by HAL, covers comprehensively the entire spectrum of heli-services which are required for civil administration today.

Wide range of civil applications of Dhruv like transportation, VIP communication, search and rescue, medical evacuation, air-ambulance, law enforcement, anti-insurgency drive, survey cable and pipeline monitoring, adventure and sports, tourism and disaster management would provide enormous support to the Government of Jharkhand to meet all challenges of governance and growth.

HAL is committed to provide full customer support, repair and maintenance over the life cycle of the helicopter.

*Dhruv was the name of a little boy in ancient India - who prayed to the Gods and was granted a boon (a wish), by which he became the great ruler of the skies - the Pole Star.

The story of Dhruv, is a very popular tale that illustrates fundamental religious beliefs through the triumph of a 5-year old, in the spiritual field.The father of Dhruv was a king called Uttanpad, who was married to Suruchi and Suneeti.

Dhruv was transported to the highest point of heaven, where he sits on his Divine father's lap as the Pole Star.The moral of the story is that at one point or another of our life we all encounter situations that are unfair.

en.allexperts.com /e/d/dh/dhruv.htm (989 words)

Weaponisation of Dhruv on: HAL(Site not responding. Last check: )

HAL had also successfully tested the glass cockpit in high altitudes and future Dhruvs would have the facility, enabling pilots to have a visual display in four screens all the necessary information and parameters generated through a computer mounted in the chopper.

Next year, 24 Dhruvs would be produced and from 2009, the number would be enhanced to 33, a senior HAL official told UNI.

HAL was also enhancing the engine power of Dhruv using a high power engine 'Shakti', jointly developed by HAL and Turbomeca.

HAL currently has several manufacturing plants across the country, and by using its infrastructure, India and its potential partners could “reduce the overall costs and jointly develop state-of-the-art aviation projects,” Fernandes said.

HAL’s efforts to forge international partnerships too have borne fruit in recent months, with the Israel Aircraft Industries announcing a tie-up to put a version of the ALH fitted with Israeli avionics and weapon systems on the global market.

HAL, which is working with Russian companies to develop a multi-role transport aircraft, has also been awarded a $9 million order by a Russian company for supplying sub-assemblies for the Su-30 fighter jets.

Whereas Dhruv is a multi-role new generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class which can work in diverse terrains ranging from hot tropical deserts to the great Himalayan ranges and also a high military capabilities for heliborne assault, logistic support, casualty evacuation, reconnaissance and training.

New Delhi, Nov. 25: Indias showpiece Dhruvhelicopter recorded a first crash today, immediately casting a shadow on efforts to export it for which the air force is sending a display team to Malaysia.

It is possible that the team from HAL was flying the helicopter to Ranchi to deliver it to the Jharkhand government.

The Sarang team  a formation of ace Dhruv fliers of the IAF  that performs breathtaking manoeuvres with the helicopter is slated to leave for the Langkawi International Maritime Aerospace 2005 airshow in Malaysia.

Chile is reportedly considering the acquisition of the 5.5-tonne Hindustan Aeronautics (Hal) Dhruv (Sanskrit for Pole Star), which has been developed with the help of Eurocopter Deutschland.

The Dhruv first flew in 1992 and entered production in 2002, initial deliveries going to the Indian Coast Guard.Hal is increasing its annual production rate from 18 to 30 units based on planned orders for over 300 aircraft, including 110 for the Indian Army, 50 for the Navy and 150 for the Air Force.

Hal is providing an eleven per cent contribution to its development and will manufacture 21% of the engine.